Method and apparatus for switching tasks

ABSTRACT

A method and an electronic device are provided in which, in response to a first user input, a stack of partially overlaid visual elements is displayed in response to the first user input. Each visual element corresponds to an application that is running in the electronic device and includes an index item representing the corresponding application. A second user input for selecting a visual element from the stack of partially overlaid visual elements is received through the touchscreen. An execution screen of an application corresponding to the selected visual element is displayed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/594,637, filed on Oct. 7, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 15/934,857, filed on Mar. 23, 2018, now U.S. Pat.No. 10,534,638, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/823,460, filed on Nov. 27, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,108,451, whichis a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/790,485, filed on Oct.23, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,452,427, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 13/729,852, filed on Dec. 28, 2012, now U.S. Pat.No. 9,798,579, which claims priority to Korean Patent Application No.10-2011-0144975, filed Dec. 28, 2011. The contents of each of theseapplications are incorporated herein in their entirety.

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to a multitasking method andapparatus of a user device and, in particular, to a multitasking methodand apparatus of a user device that is capable of intuitively andswiftly switching between background and foreground tasks running on theuser device.

2. Description of the Related Art

Communication and information processing on the move is a fundamentalfeature of portable user devices such as a cellular phone, PersonalDigital Assistant (PDA), electronic organizer, and tablet PersonalComputer (PC). Newer user devices also incorporate various features suchas data communication including video as well as basic voice and textcommunication, an electronic organizer, a camera, email, broadcast play,Internet access, audio playback, a scheduler, Social Networking Service(SNS), a messenger, a dictionary, and gaming. These features can beembedded at the user device manufacturing stage or added in the form ofapplications downloaded by the user.

Such applications can be running on the user device simultaneously basedon the multitasking function supported by the user device. That is, theuser device supporting the multitasking function is capable ofsimultaneously processing multiple tasks. In such a case, the userdevice displays the execution screen of the application selected by theuser among the applications running simultaneously while otherapplications are running on the background without display of all theirexecution screens. Typically, the task-switching is from the task on thetop layer (e.g. application running on the foreground with thepresentation of its execution screen on the display unit) to anothertask (e.g. application running on the background) is made in such amanner that the execution screen of the foreground-running main task isreplaced by a list of all tasks running currently in the user device andthen the task selected by the user from the list becomes the main taskwith the presentation of its execution screen.

In order to check all of the applications running in the user device orswitch the main task from the application running on the foreground toone of the applications running on the background, the user has toterminate the main task or manipulate the main task to be running on thebackground with the presentation of the task list so as to select a newmain task from the task list, resulting in cumbersome manipulation. Thatis, the conventional task-switching mechanism of the portable userdevice lacks intuitiveness, resulting in user inconvenience. There istherefore a need of a method for facilitating a convenient switch amongmultiple tasks running on a user device.

SUMMARY

The present invention has been made in an effort to solve the aboveproblems and it is an object of the present invention to provide amultitasking method and apparatus of a user device that is capable offacilitating multitasking function.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a multitaskingmethod and apparatus of a user device that is capable of intuitively andquickly switching among the tasks of the multiple applications runningon the user device.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide amultitasking method and apparatus of a user device that is capable offacilitating switch between tasks of the multiple applications runningon the device with reduced manipulation steps and simplifiedinteraction.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, electronic deviceis provided that includes a touchscreen, a memory, and a processorelectrically connected with the touchscreen and the memory. The memorystores instructions that cause, when executed, the processor to, inresponse to a first user input, control the touchscreen to display astack of partially overlaid visual elements in response to the firstuser input, each visual element corresponding to an application that isrunning in the electronic device and including an index itemrepresenting the corresponding application. The processor is also causedto receive a second user input for selecting a visual element from thestack of partially overlaid visual elements through the touchscreen, andcontrol the touchscreen to display an execution screen of an applicationcorresponding to the selected visual element.

In accordance with another aspect of the present, a multitask managementmethod of an electronic device is provided. In response to a first userinput, a stack of partially overlaid visual elements is displayed inresponse to the first user input. Each visual element corresponds to anapplication that is running in the electronic device and includes anindex item representing the corresponding application. A second userinput for selecting a visual element from the stack of partiallyoverlaid visual elements is received through the touchscreen. Anexecution screen of an application corresponding to the selected visualelement is displayed.

In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, anon-transitory computer-readable medium is provided that storesinstructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause theone or more processors to perform operations including, in response to afirst user input, displaying a stack of partially overlaid visualelements in response to the first user input, each visual elementcorresponding to an application that is running in the electronic deviceand including an index item representing the corresponding application.The one or more processors also receive a second user input forselecting a visual element from the stack of partially overlaid visualelements through the touchscreen, and display an execution screen of anapplication corresponding to the selected visual elements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will be more apparent from the following detailed descriptionwhen taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration of the user device according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates screen displays presented in the task-switchingoperation of the user device according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 illustrates screen displays presented in the task-switchingoperation of the user device according to another embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates screen displays presented in the task-switchingoperation of the user device according to another embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates screen displays presented in the task-switchingoperation of the user device according to still another embodiment ofthe present invention; and

FIG. 6 illustrates a multitasking method of the user device according toan embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to theaccompanying drawings in detail. The same reference numbers are usedthroughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. Detaileddescription of well-known functions and structures incorporated hereinmay be omitted for the sake of clarity and conciseness.

The present invention discloses a method and apparatus for facilitatingswitch among the tasks in the user device supporting multitasking. Whenan input for switching among the tasks of multiple applications runningon the user device supporting multitasking is detected, the user devicepresents a stack of the tasks in process to facilitate switching amongthe tasks. The multitasking method and apparatus of the presentinvention is capable of facilitating switching from the current task toanother task.

The configuration of the user device and multitasking method of the userdevice is described hereinafter with reference to accompanying drawings.However, the present invention is not limited to the followingdescription on the configuration of the device and multitasking methodthereof but can be implemented in alternative embodiments.

FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration of the user device according to anembodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the user device includes a display unit 100, astorage unit 200, and a control unit 300. Although not depicted in FIG.1, the user device may further include at least one of an audioprocessing unit with a microphone and a speaker, a digital broadcastmodule for receiving digital broadcast (e.g. Digital MultimediaBroadcasting (DMB) and Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB)) signals, acamera module for taking still and motion pictures, a short rangecommunication module for supporting short range radio communication(such as Bluetooth, Infrared Data Association (IrDA), Radio FrequencyIdentification (RFID), and Near Field Communication (NFC)), an inputunit for receiving hard key-based input, a Radio Frequency (RF) modulefor supporting cellular voice and video and data communications, aninternet access module for supporting Internet Protocol (IP) basedInternet service, a location information collection unit for collectinglocation information of the user device, and a battery for supplyingpower to the above components.

The display unit 100 is capable of displaying operation-related screensof the user device, such as a menu screen and execution screens ofapplications. The display unit 100 can be implemented with one of LiquidCrystal Display (LCD), Light Emitting Diode (LED), Organic LED (OLED),and Active Matrix OLED (AM OLED). The display unit 100 can be providedwith a touch-based input interface. For example, the display unit 100 isequipped with a touchscreen to generate an input signal to the controlunit 300 in response to a touch input of the user. The display unit 100is also capable of supporting display mode switching function forswitching between the portrait view mode and the landscape view modeaccording to the orientation of the user device.

Particularly, the display unit 100 is capable of providing atask-switching region for supporting the task-switching function in themultitasking mode in which multiple applications are running in the userdevice. The display unit 100 is capable of receiving a touch interactionfor switching through the task-switching region, and providing atask-switching user interface showing a stack of the tasks in responseto a touch interaction under the control of the control unit 300. Thedisplay unit 100 displays the execution screen of the applicationcorresponding to the task at the top of the stack along with an image ofthe stack of the tasks having respective executions screens in part orapplication identity information. The display unit 100 is capable ofdisplaying the stack that is re-sized according to the number ofcurrently running tasks. The proceeding will describe the screenconfiguration with reference to screen images.

The storage unit 200 stores various applications and data executable inthe user device and can include at least one of non-volatile andvolatile memories. In an embodiment of the present invention, thestorage unit 200 includes at least one of Read Only Memory (ROM), flashmemory, Random Access Memory (RAM), internal Hard Disk Drive (HDD),external HDD, and other external storage media. The storage unit 200 iscapable of persistently or temporarily storing the Operating System (OS)of the user device, the programs and data related to the display controloperation of the display unit 100, the display unit-assisted inputoperation control, the user device function control, and thetask-switching function control. The storage unit 200 is capable ofstoring configuration information related to the multitaskingoperations. The configuration information is capable of including stackdisplay modes dependent on the touch interaction for task-switching andscreen display modes of the task dependent on the touch interaction.

The control unit 300 controls overall operations of the user device.Particularly, the control unit 300 is capable of controls thetask-switching operation in association with the users' touchinteraction in the multitasking mode. For example, the control unit 300is capable of processing multiple tasks corresponding to the applicationrunning in the multitasking mode. The control unit 300 is also capableof detecting the touch interaction made at the task-switching region,when the execution screen of an application is displayed on the displayunit 100, and presenting all tasks corresponding to the currentlyrunning applications in the form of a stack.

The control unit 300 is capable of re-sizing the stack according to thenumber of tasks. For example, the control unit 300 compares the numberof the tasks with a threshold (e.g. 5) and re-sizes the width of thetask window on top of the stack according to the comparison result torearrange the subsequent task windows at an interval.

The control unit 300 is capable of switching among the tasks in responseto the users' touch interaction made When the task windows are presentedin the form of a stack and displaying the switching result screen. Forexample, the control unit 300 is capable of discriminating among asequential task selection for selecting the tasks one by one from thestack, a direction task selection for selecting a specific task directlyfrom the stack, and a focused task selection for selecting a task whilenavigating across the tasks of the stack. The sequential task selection,direct task selection, and focused task selection will be described indetail herein.

The control unit 300 is capable of controlling the switching to the taskof the application and the display of the switched task screen accordingto the task selection mode. For example, the control unit 300 is capableof controlling displaying the execution screen of the applicationcorresponding to the switched task in the full screen mode or in theform of a task window stacked on top of the stack.

The control unit 300 is capable of controlling the operations related tothe normal functions of the user device as well as the aforementionedfunctions. For example, the control unit 300 is capable of controllingexecution of a specific application and display of the execution screen,controlling the receipt of various users' touch interaction inputssupported by the touch-based input interface and operation correspondingto the touch interaction, and controlling the wired and/or wireless datacommunication of the user device.

The user device depicted in FIG. 1 can be any of informationcommunication devices, multimedia devices, and their equivalentssupporting the multitasking function. The user device can be any type ofdevices including a mobile communication terminal operating over acommunication protocol, a tablet PC, a smartphone, a digital camera,Portable Multimedia Player (PMP), a media player, a portable gameconsole, a laptop computer, and a PDA. The function control method isapplicable to various display-equipped devices such as digitaltelevision (TV), Digital Signage (DS), and Large Format Display (LFD).

FIG. 2 illustrates screen displays presented in the task-switchingoperation of the user device according to an embodiment of the presentinvention. Particularly, FIG. 2 is directed to the task-switching methodbased on the sequential task selection.

In FIG. 2, it is assumed that a specific application (e.g.Application 1) is executed with the display of its execution screen asdenoted by reference number 201. Although only one execution screen ispresented, it is assumed that multiple applications are running on thebackground. That is, multiple tasks of the applications running in themultitasking mode are handled simultaneously.

In the state of screen display 201, the user can make a touchinteraction calling the task stack for executing the task-switchingfunction (hereinafter, stack calling interaction) at a region on thescreen as denoted by reference number 203. The region can be thetask-switching region designated for the task-switching function. Thetask-switching region can be defined at a side (e.g. right end) of thescreen to minimize interference to other normal function execution withthe touch interaction on the execution screen. The stack callinginteraction can be a touch & hold interaction that temporarily holds thetouch or a tap interaction that makes a contact and immediately releasesthe contact. In the case of the touch & hold interaction, the touch maybe released or maintained after calling the stack. In the case of thesequential task selection or focused task selection mode to be displayedlater, the touch can be maintained while navigating across the tasks ofthe stack. In the case of the direct task selection mode, however, thenext task can be selected by releasing the touch interaction mode on thecurrent task and making another touch interaction on another targettask.

If the stack calling interaction is made as shown in the screen 203, astack of the tasks that are currently running in the user terminal isdisplayed as denoted by reference number 205. The stack is generated byaccumulating the application execution windows of the correspondingstack to the respective tasks, such as stack images of respectivewindows as captured execution screens, still images, or snap images.Particularly, the tasks are fetched and are a rendered resource on theallocated window area, and the rendered resource is provided at leastone image of the application execution windows. That is, the stack is arendered image of the application execution windows associated with anindividual task. The application execution windows can be stacked in astepwise manner as shown in the screen display 205. The stack of theexecution windows can be re-sized according to the number of currentlyrunning tasks. For example, the stacked execution windows can benarrowed or widened in width according to the number of the currentlyrunning tasks.

When the task stack is presented in response to the stack callinginteraction as shown in the screen display 205, the user is capable ofmaking a touch interaction for dragging the touch from one point (e.g.on the execution window of the task of Application 1) to another (e.g.drag to the left) as shown in the screen display 207. The task-switchinginteraction can be made in the form of a flicking, dragging, moving, orsweeping gesture interaction.

If a touch is made for inputting the task-switching interaction and thenmoved in a specific direction (e.g. left) as shown in the screen display207, the execution window on top of the stack 500 slides left so as tobe replaced by the execution window of the next top task (e.g.Application 2) as shown in the screen display 209. This operation can beperformed with a fade-in/fade-out effect.

If the user releases the touch to complete the task-switchinginteraction to the left in the state of screen display 209, theswitching is completed such that the task of the next highest order(e.g. Application 2) appears on top of the stack 500 as shown in thescreen display 211. The task (e.g. Application 1) disappeared from thetop of the stack 500 is arranged at the bottom of the stack.

When the tasks are rearranged as shown in the screen display 211, theswitching can be performed again as described above in response toanother task-switching interaction made by the user. In the state of thescreen 211, the user is capable of terminating the task-switchingprocedure by inputting a touch interaction. For example, the user iscapable of making a task-switching termination interaction by releasingthe touch held over a time duration when the new highest orderapplication (e.g. Application 2) is arranged on top of the stack 500 asshown in the screen display 211. If the task-switching operation iscompleted the execution window of the application arranged on top of thestack 500 is presented in the full screen mode as shown in the screendisplay 213.

When all of the currently running tasks are displayed in the form of astack in response to the stack calling interaction, the execution windowof each task can be presented along with a task termination item 250 ata side of the window. The task termination item 250 can be providedoptionally to improve the task management convenience on the screenpresenting the stack of the tasks. Using this optional item, the usercan manage each of the currently running tasks intuitively and quickly.For example, if the user selects the task input item 250 on the screen207 of FIG. 2, the task (i.e. task of Application 1) corresponding tothe task execution window on the top of the stack 500 is terminated withthe disappear of the task execution window. The remaining task executionwindows can be rearranged on the stack. For example, the task executionwindows are rearranged at an interval.

FIG. 3 illustrates screen displays presented in the task-switchingoperation of the user device according to another embodiment of thepresent invention.

In FIG. 3, it is assumed that a specific application (e.g.Application 1) is running with display of its execution screen asdenoted by reference number 301. Although only one execution screen ispresented, it is assumed that multiple applications are running on thebackground. That is, multiple tasks of the applications running in themultitasking mode are handled simultaneously.

In the state of screen display 301, the user can make a touchinteraction calling the task stack for executing the task-switchingfunction (hereinafter, stack calling interaction) at a task-switchingregion.

In response to the stack calling interaction, the user terminal iscapable of generating the stack of tasks corresponding to the currentlyrunning application and presenting the stack on a task-switching userinterface. The task-switching user interface includes the stack ofexecution windows of the currently running application that are stackedin stepwise manner such that the user can make the sequential taskselection, direct task selection, or focused task selection. The stackis generated by accumulating the application execution windows of thecorresponding stack to the respective tasks, such as stack images ofrespective windows as captured execution screens, still images, or snapimages. Particularly, the tasks are fetched and are a rendered resourceon the allocated window area, and the rendered resource is provided atleast one image of the application execution windows. That is, the stackis a rendered image of the application execution windows associated withan individual task. Hereinafter, the stack corresponding to theexecution window will be referred to as stack image.

The task-switching user interface can be provided in various types asdenoted by reference numerals 303, 305, 307, and 309 according to theuser configuration.

For example, the stack of the currently running tasks is presented asshown in the screen display 303 in response to the touch interactioninput. In the screen display 303, the execution screen image of theapplication (e.g. Application 1) which is captured right before theinput of the stack calling interaction is arranged on top of the stack500 with the other applications' execution stack images accumulated in astepwise manner. The stack images of other applications are shown withno meaning information. The stack images of the other applications canbe the execution window images of the corresponding applications.

As shown in the screen displays 305 and 307, the stack images of theapplication execution screens can be provided in a stepwise manner. Inthe screen displays 305 and 307, the stack images are stacked atdifferent intervals such that the exposed margins of the stack imagesbelow the top ones differ in the two screen displays. In the screendisplays 305 and 307, an application identification item can be providedat the exposed margin of each stack image below the top stack image. Forexample, the stack image of the Application 1 is presented on top of thestack 500 while the stack images of Application 2, Application 3, andApplication 4 are arranged there below along with the items identifyingthe applications (e.g. numbers 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 as shown at the marginsof the accumulated stack images. The item for identifying theapplication can be a part of the stack image of the applicationexecution screen, a thumbnail image of application execution screen, oran icon or a text representing the corresponding application.

As shown in the screen displays 305 and 307, the stack of the stackimages, i.e. the application execution window images, can be configuredsuch that the interval between two stack images increases or decreasesaccording to the number of the currently running applications. Forexample, the screen display 305 is for when total four applications arerunning while the screen display 307 is for when total 6 applicationsare running. Particularly, when many applications are runningsimultaneously (i.e. the number of currently running application isgreater than or equal to a threshold), the intervals between stackimages are narrowed by decreasing the width of the stack image on top ofthe stack 500 as shown in the screen display 307. The user can identifythe applications intuitively with the stack images below the stack imageon top of the stack 500 as well as the stack image on top of the stack500.

The user terminal is capable of displaying the stack of the stack imagesin a stepwise manner in response to a touch input as shown in the screendisplay 309. In the case of the screen display 309, each stack image isprovided with a tab as an index item 350 protruded at a side (bottom orright side) of the stack image to enhance the recognition and facilitateswitching between applications. The stack image of the application 1 ispresented on top of the stack 500 along with the index item 390protruding below, and the stack images of Applications 2, 3, and 4 arepartially exposed below the stack image of Application 1 along withtheir respective index items 309. The index item 390 can be provided inthe form of an application icon or text and can be changed in shape andcolor according to the user configuration.

FIG. 4 illustrates screen displays presented in the task-switchingoperation of the user device according to another embodiment of thepresent invention. Particularly, FIG. 4 is directed to thetask-switching method based on the direct task selection.

In FIG. 4, it is assumed that a specific application (e.g.Application 1) is executed with the display of its execution screen asdenoted by reference number 401. Although only one execution screen ispresented, it is assumed that multiple applications are running on thebackground. That is, multiple tasks of the applications running in themultitasking mode are handled simultaneously.

In the state of screen display 401, the user can input a touchinteraction calling the task stack for executing the task-switchingfunction (hereinafter, stack calling interaction) in a task-switchingregion as shown in the screen display 403.

In response to the stack calling interaction, the user terminal iscapable of generating the stack of tasks corresponding to the currentlyrunning application and presenting the stack on a task-switching userinterface as shown in the screen display 405. The stack of the tasks,i.e. stack images of the application execution screens, is in a stepwisemanner as shown in the screen display 405.

The width of each stack image can be re-sized according to the number ofthe tasks, i.e. the currently running applications. By re-sizing thewidth of each stack image, it is possible to increase or decrease thedistances between stack images. The stack re-sizing can be performed byreducing the width of the stack image on top of the stack 500 and thennarrowing the intervals between the stack images below the top stackimage.

When the stack of the tasks is called to be presented as shown in thescreen display 405, the user can make a touch to select the stack image(selection interaction) corresponding to a target application (e.g.Application 3) as shown in the screen display 407. The selectioninteraction can be one of a tap interaction a flick interaction, a draginteraction, a move interaction, a sweep interaction, and a touch & holdinteraction.

In response to the selection interaction made as shown in the screendisplay 407, the user device is capable of displaying a screen as shownin the screen display 409 or 411. When the user device is operating inthe sequential task-switching mode, the application corresponding to thestack image selected by the user becomes the foreground application suchthat the selected stack image is presented on top of the stack 500 andthe rest stack images are rearranged in order.

The stack images that have been arranged over the selected stack image(e.g. Application 1 and Application 2) are rearranged below the stackimage (e.g. Application 4) at the bottom of the stack while maintainingtheir stacking order. When the user device is operating in the directtask-switching mode, the execution screen of the applicationcorresponding to the selected stack image (e.g. Application 3) ispresented in full screen view as shown in the screen display 411.

In the state of the screen display 409, the user can continuetask-switching manipulation. The user also can terminate thetask-switching operation by making a touch interaction input in thestate of screen display 409. For example, the user can make a touchinteraction of holding the touch over a time and then releasing thetouch (e.g. task-switching release interaction) When the stack image ofthe selected application (e.g. Application 3) is presented on top of thestack 500 as shown in the screen display 411. In response to thetask-switching release interaction, the execution screen of theapplication (e.g. Application 3) corresponding to the selected stackimage presented on top of the stack 500 is displayed in full screen viewas shown in the screen display 411.

FIG. 5 illustrates screen displays presented in the task-switchingoperation of the user device according to still another embodiment ofthe present invention. Particularly, FIG. 5 is directed to thetask-switching method based on the focused task selection.

In FIG. 5, it is assumed that a specific application (e.g.Application 1) is executed with the display of its execution screen asdenoted by reference number 501 and multiple tasks of the applicationsrunning in the multitasking mode are handled simultaneously.

In the state of screen display 501, the user can make a touchinteraction calling the task stack for executing the task-switchingfunction (hereinafter, stack calling interaction) at a task-switchingregion as shown in the screen display 503.

In response to the stack calling interaction, the user terminal iscapable of displaying the stack of tasks corresponding to the currentlyrunning application as shown in the screen display 505. The stack of thetasks, i.e. stack images of the application execution screens, is in astepwise manner as shown in the screen display 505. Each stack image canbe re-sized according to the number of the tasks. By re-sizing the widthof each stack image, it is possible to increase or decrease thedistances between stack images. The stack re-sizing can be performed byreducing the width of the stack image on top of the stack 500 and thennarrowing the intervals between the stack images below the top stackimage.

When the stack of the tasks is called to be presented as shown in thescreen display 505, the user can make a touch navigating from a regionon the stack image on top of the stack 500 to another on the next stackimage such that the stack image on which the touch made is highlightedas shown in the screen displays 507 to 511. The touch interaction can beone of a tap interaction, a flick interaction, a drag interaction, amove interaction, a sweep interaction, and a touch & hold interaction.

For example, the user can make a touch at a region of the stack image ontop of the stack 500 and moves the touch to the right contacting otherstack images in series as shown in the screen display 507. Whennavigating across the stack images, a visual effect can be provided suchthat the stack image at which the touch remains is highlighted as shownin the screen displays 509 and 511. That is, the cursor moves accordingto the movement of the touch point, focusing the corresponding stackimage, so as to enhance the intuitiveness of the user interface. Forexample, the stack image focused by the passing touch can be highlightedand exposed through the stack images that are arranged above and becometransparent as shown in the screen displays 509 and 511. The stack imagefocused by the passing touch can be highlighted or changed in colorwithout change in arrangement.

In order to select a stack image (e.g. Application 3) in the state ofnavigating across the stack images as shown in the screen displays 507to 511, the touch can be released on the target stack image. If thestack image is selected in this manner, the execution screen of theapplication (e.g. Application 3) corresponding to the stack image isdisplayed in the full screen view as shown in the screen display 513.

As described above, the multitasking method according to the presentinvention is capable of selecting a task from the stack of currentlyrunning tasks one by one in sequential order as well as directly. Thetask on which the cursor stays is presented with a specific visualeffect (e.g. transparent overlay effect, highlight effect, or colorizedeffect) to indicate that the corresponding application is selected and,if the touch is released, the selection application is brought to theforeground.

FIG. 6 illustrates a multitasking method of the user device according toan embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, the control unit 300 determines the tasks that arerunning on the user device currently at step 601, and displays theexecution window of the foreground task at step 603. The control unit300 detects a touch input while the user device is operating in themultitasking mode at step 605.

The control unit 300 determines whether the touch input is made at atask-switching region designated for the task-switching function at step607.

If the touch input is made out of the task-switching region, the controlunit 300 performs the operation corresponding to the touch interactionat step 609. For example, the control unit 300 can control to executethe function corresponding to the item selected by the touch input madeon the execution screen of the foreground application.

If the touch input is made at the task-switching region, the controlunit 300 determines all of the currently running tasks at step 611. Forexample, the control unit 300 can count the tasks of all applicationsrunning in the multitasking mode of the user device as well as the tasksof the foreground application.

Next, the control unit 300 calculates the size of execution window imagerepresenting each task on the stack at step 613. For example, thecontrol unit 300 compares the number of the currently running tasks witha threshold and adjusts the width of the execution window image on topof the stack 500 and the interval between consecutive execution windowimages on the stack according to the comparison result.

Next, the control unit 300 displays the stack of the currently runningtasks as being re-sized according to the calculation result at step 615.As described above, the stack of the currently running tasks can bepresented in a stepwise manner on the task-switching user interface.

The control unit 300 can control to display the task selected by theusers' touch interaction from the stack of the currently running tasksat step 617. As described above, the control unit 300 is capable ofcontrolling to display the stack in the sequential task selectionoperation (as shown in FIG. 2), direction task selection operation (asshown in FIG. 4), or focused task selection operation with a visualeffect (as shown in FIG. 5).

The control unit 300 controls switching between the tasks to bring theapplication corresponding to the selected task to the foreground at step619, and controls to display the execution screen of the new foregroundapplication at step 621. For example, the control unit 300 is capable ofcontrolling such that the execution window of the foreground applicationin full screen view or on top of the stack 500 of the tasks.

The above-described multitasking method and apparatus of a user deviceof the present invention can be implemented in the form ofcomputer-executable program commands and stored in a non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium. The computer readable storage mediummay store the program commands, data files, and data structures inindividual or combined forms. The program commands recorded in thestorage medium may be designed and implemented for various embodimentsof the present invention or used by those skilled in the computersoftware field.

As described above, the multitasking method and apparatus of the userdevice according to the present invention is capable of facilitatingswitching between a background task and a foreground task by reducingthe manipulation steps and simplifying the user interaction. Themultitasking method and apparatus of the present invention is alsocapable of intuitively and swiftly switching between the background andforeground applications.

The multitasking method and apparatus of the present invention isapplicable to various types of devices. The multitasking method andapparatus of the present invention is capable of facilitating switchbetween background and foreground applications, thereby improving theusability and competitiveness of the user device and user convenience.

The computer-readable storage medium includes magnetic media such as afloppy disk and a magnetic tape, optical media including a Compact Disc(CD) ROM and a Digital Video Disc (DVD) ROM, a magneto-optical mediasuch as a floptical disk, and the hardware device designed for storingand executing program commands such as ROM, RAM, and flash memory. Theprograms commands include the language code executable by computersusing the interpreter as well as the machine language codes created by acompiler. The aforementioned hardware device can be implemented with oneor more software modules for executing the operations of the variousembodiments of the present invention.

While the invention has been shown and described with reference tocertain embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled inthe art that various changes in form and details may be made thereinwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention asdefined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic device, comprising: a touchscreen;and a processor configured to: receive a first user input while a firstexecution screen of a certain application is displayed on thetouchscreen in a full screen view, based on receiving the first userinput, control the touchscreen to display a plurality of visualelements, wherein the visual elements respectively correspond to aplurality of applications including the certain application, and each ofthe visual elements includes a task execution screen image andidentifier information to identify the corresponding application,receive a second user input for removing a visual element from theplurality of visual elements, while the plurality visual elements aredisplayed on the touchscreen, based on receiving the second user input,remove the visual element which the second input is received from theplurality of visual elements, and rearrange the visual elementsremaining in the plurality of visual elements after removing the visualelement corresponding to the second user input, receive a third userinput for selecting a visual element from the plurality of visualelements, while the plurality visual elements are displayed on thetouchscreen, and based on receiving the third user input, control thetouchscreen to display, in a full screen view, a second execution screenof an application corresponding to the selected visual element.
 2. Theelectronic device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to: in response to removing the visual element, move anothervisual element disposed below the removed visual element.
 3. Theelectronic device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to: receive a fourth user input for navigating the pluralityof visual elements, while the plurality visual elements are displayed onthe touchscreen, and based on receiving the fourth user input, slide anddisplay the plurality visual elements in a direction corresponding tothe fourth user input.
 4. The electronic device according to claim 1,wherein the processor is further configured to: provide the visualelements according to the number of the currently running applications.5. The electronic device according to claim 4, wherein the processor isfurther configured to: determine all of the currently runningapplications, and display the visual elements of the currently runningapplications according to the determination result on a user interface.6. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality ofvisual elements comprises visual elements corresponding to each of allapplications that are running and a visual element representing thefirst execution screen of the certain application.
 7. The electronicdevice according to claim 1, wherein the identifier information toidentify the corresponding application comprises at least one of text oran icon.
 8. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein eachvisual element is provided with icon and text to identify thecorresponding application at a side of the each visual element.
 9. Theelectronic device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to: provide a termination item, while the plurality visualelements are displayed on the touchscreen, based on receiving a touchinput on a termination item, terminate an application corresponding to avisual element of the termination item on which the touch input isreceived and remove the visual element from the plurality of visualelements.
 10. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein theprocessor is further configured to: provide a termination item, whilethe plurality visual elements are displayed on the touchscreen, based onreceiving a touch input on a termination item, terminate all of thecurrently running applications corresponding to the plurality of visualelements and remove all of the plurality of visual elements.
 11. Theelectronic device according to claim 1, wherein the currently runningapplications comprises the certain application executed by the processorin a foreground of the electronic device and at least one otherapplication executed by the processor in a background of the electronicdevice.
 12. A method for an electronic device, comprising: receiving afirst user input while a first execution screen of a certain applicationis displayed on a touchscreen in a full screen view, based on receivingthe first user input, displaying a plurality of visual elements, whereinthe visual elements respectively correspond to a plurality ofapplications including the certain application, and each of the visualelements includes a task execution screen image and identifierinformation to identify the corresponding application, receiving asecond user input for removing a visual element from the plurality ofvisual elements, while the plurality visual elements are displayed onthe touchscreen, based on receiving the second user input, removing thevisual element which the second input is received from the plurality ofvisual elements, and rearranging the visual elements remaining in theplurality of visual elements after removing the visual elementcorresponding to the second user input, receiving a third user input forselecting a visual element from the plurality of visual elements, whilethe plurality visual elements are displayed on the touchscreen, andbased on receiving the third user input, displaying, in a full screenview, a second execution screen of an application corresponding to theselected visual element.
 13. The method according to claim 12, whereinthe rearranging of the visual elements comprises: in response toremoving the visual element, moving another visual element disposedbelow the removed visual element.
 14. The method according to claim 12,further comprising: receiving a fourth user input for navigating theplurality of visual elements, while the plurality visual elements aredisplayed on the touchscreen, and based on receiving the fourth userinput, sliding and displaying the plurality visual elements in adirection corresponding to the fourth user input.
 15. The methodaccording to claim 12, further comprising: providing the visual elementsaccording to the number of the currently running applications.
 16. Themethod according to claim 15, further comprising: determining all of thecurrently running applications, and displaying the visual elements ofthe currently running applications according to the determination resulton a user interface.
 17. The method according to claim 12, wherein theplurality of visual elements comprises visual elements corresponding toeach of all applications that are running and a visual elementrepresenting the first execution screen of the certain application. 18.The method according to claim 12, wherein the identifier information toidentify the corresponding application comprises at least one of text oran icon.
 19. The method according to claim 12, wherein each visualelement is provided with icon and text to identify the correspondingapplication at a side of the each visual element.
 20. A non-transitorycomputer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by aprocessor of an electronic device, cause the processor to at least:receive a first user input while a first execution screen of a certainapplication is displayed on a touchscreen in a full screen view, basedon receiving the first user input, display a plurality of visualelements, wherein the visual elements respectively correspond to aplurality of applications including the certain application, and each ofthe visual elements includes a task execution screen image andidentifier information to identify the corresponding application,receive a second user input for removing a visual element from theplurality of visual elements, while the plurality visual elements aredisplayed on the touchscreen, based on receiving the second user input,remove the visual element which the second input is received from theplurality of visual elements, and rearrange the visual elementsremaining in the plurality of visual elements after removing the visualelement corresponding to the second user input, receive a third userinput for selecting a visual element from the plurality of visualelements, while the plurality visual elements are displayed on thetouchscreen, and based on receiving the third user input, display, in afull screen view, a second execution screen of an applicationcorresponding to the selected visual element.